Glenkiln Cross, 1956

CommentaryFirst cast in bronze probably in 1956, the cross is named after the place where it first stood, namely on the Glenkiln Estate near Glenkiln Reservoir in Scotland, which Sir William Keswick, with Henry Moore’s assistance, turned into a sculpture park between 1951 and 1976. Moore chose the shape of a tall Celtic cross, but without the circle motif typically used by the Celts, and without a corpus. Despite confining himself to a vestigial torso, Moore still hints at the drooping head, outstretched arms, and feet historically required of a standing crucifix. The vertical structures, emblematic symbols and deliberate elongation of certain parts lend the sculpture an Art Informel look and open it up to interpretations ranging from the vegetative to the theological.

First cast in bronze probably in 1956, the cross is named after the place where it first stood, namely on the Glenkiln Estate near Glenkiln Reservoir in Scotland, which Sir William Keswick, with Henry Moore’s assistance, turned into a sculpture park between 1951 and 1976. Moore chose the shape of a tall Celtic cross, but without the circle motif typically used by the Celts, and without a corpus. Despite confining himself to a vestigial torso, Moore still hints at the drooping head, outstretched arms, and feet historically required of a standing crucifix. The vertical structures, emblematic symbols and deliberate elongation of certain parts lend the sculpture an Art Informel look and open it up to interpretations ranging from the vegetative to the theological.